


Your Eyes Don't Lie

by LaceKyoko1138



Series: Fictober 2020 but make it Sylvianne [6]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Black Eagles Marianne von Edmund, Black Eagles Sylvain Jose Gautier, Eye Trauma, F/M, Fictober 2020, First Crush, Hoshinamida Disease, Love Confessions, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Serious Injuries, Star-Tear Disease
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27040054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LaceKyoko1138/pseuds/LaceKyoko1138
Summary: Marianne has trouble coming to terms with feelings she has for Sylvain, culminating in unbearable tears of starlight. However, Sylvain may have his own twinkling in his eyes, but neither can really see past their own pain.Fictober Day 6: Hoshinamida (Star-tear) Disease
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Series: Fictober 2020 but make it Sylvianne [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1946101
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14





	Your Eyes Don't Lie

**Author's Note:**

  * For [minispice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/minispice/gifts).



> I read a fic not too long ago that involved this rarely used trope. I love it and have always wanted to write Hanahaki, but Star-tear is so... *chef's kiss* 
> 
> This is apparently really popular among Japanese fans and honestly, for good reason. Very tough to write, but I hope you like it regardless. I am trying to catch up but hhhhh writing while working two jobs is HARD. 
> 
> Thank you to minispice for reading it through and catching the typos. <3
> 
> Title based off Eric Stuart Band's _Your Eyes Don't Lie_ Fantastic song on a fantastic album. Definitely give it a listen.

  
  


星涙病

Like a war horse gone feral, it hit Marianne. Perhaps it was the encouragement, the easy smile sent her way, the softened gaze and gentle voice. All Marianne knew was that today, while taking notes in class, she had the sudden realization she really liked Sylvain.

And then that realization sunk into her gut, giving her nothing but dread and regret. How could someone like Sylvain, so outgoing and charming, care for someone like her, so dour and gloomy? She remembered biting her lip, her quill pausing in her writing, and suddenly there were tears. It hurt, a small pinch but painful nonetheless, and she wiped away at her eyes. When she pulled her hand away, she saw faint amounts of glittery dust. That dread and regret increased twofold.

So it began.

Hilda turned her head, looking inquisitively at Marianne, who had paused and stared at her glimmering fingers. But Marianne snatched her hand away and rubbed it quickly against her skirt, eliminating the evidence of the illness that now afflicted her.

Marianne was already so private, and the idea of someone discovering she had star-tear disease would be entirely too humiliating for her to stand.

Star-tear disease was rarer than people realized, but it was infamous anyway. The afflicted would cry star-like tears, mere motes of dust at first, but as time went on the tears would become larger, denser, and incredibly painful to shed. The disease would always end in utter blindness should the cure not be found. And the cure was simple really: to admit feelings for the one they loved to that person, and for that same person to reciprocate. It was of course easily said, but admission of romantic feelings was never quite that simple.

It was common in young adults, people who already had turbulent emotions running through their heads rather than mature adults, but anyone of any age could develop it. Arranged marriages were already common and in fact encouraged because of Crest-bearing, but some even used that as an excuse to ensure their child would never suffer from the disease. Thus, its rarity.

So of course Marianne, who had no matrimony or suitor in sight, would develop it because of one boy who was a little too charismatic for her to ignore, try she might. Of course it would be Sylvain. She was surprised more girls hadn’t developed the disease considering he was such a hot item. But if anything, that showed that these girls who ‘loved’ him didn’t actually love him, so perhaps that was a godsend in itself. No one deserved to suffer from such a painful disease. It also proved Sylvain’s point that they liked the  _idea_ of him, and not the  _actual_ him.

Class ended and Marianne scampered away before Hilda could stop and ask her what was wrong. The tears were burning her eyes the more she tried to fight them. She had to get to her dorm before someone saw her-

And there he was, the object of her infatuation: Sylvain Jose Gautier. He was preening for some girls who giggled at his bad jokes and fake smile. Marianne at first had a hard time reading him, but in that moment she could see the dead stare behind his eyes. Sylvain was going through the motions. He probably didn’t even know these girls’ names.

Marianne had stopped long enough for Sylvain to notice her, inclining his head to her and that’s when she saw the smile light his eyes. Oh goddess, he was happy to see her? It made her more embarrassed and aware of the glitter in her eyes so all she could do was squeak and retreat up the stairs to her room. She thought she might have heard him calling her name but she ignored his voice and flung her door open, shutting it behind her, heart beating like a hummingbird’s wings.

This could not be happening.

For the rest of the day, Marianne lay in her bed and cried, knowing that it wasn't going to get any easier. She skipped dinner, ignored Hilda's incessant knocking and inquiries on if she was okay. She may have heard Claude's voice at one point too, but she kept quiet and buried her face even deeper into her pillow.

She did not know that Sylvain inquired about her after seeing her flee at the sight of him. He was confused, but moved on with the girl of the day, some noble girl too pleased with her status. Sylvain would break her alright.

~*~

At some point Marianne found herself walking to Professor Byleth and asking to join their class. She loved her fellow Golden Deer, but something about the Black Eagles called to her. Perhaps it was Edelgard's strength she admired or that the professor was so kind and understanding. She wasn't really sure, but she did ask and she was accepted.

It was the mission at Conand Tower in the eastern part of the Kingdom where things seemed to shift.

For that mission, Sylvain requested to join the Black Eagles, if only temporarily, to deal with his brother himself. He was the proper heir after all and would have to deal with many other family affairs in the future. He might as well start now. So Byleth accepted his assistance and at the end of the month, the Black Eagles plus Sylvain took off for the tower that had been made the base for bandits.

That battle had not been easy, fraught with surprise enemy reinforcements whose mages downed Gilbert, and the closer they got to the boss, Sylvain's brother Miklan, the more clustered it was. Fighting was erratic and Marianne had to stay in the middle of the formation so she could be protected from enemy attacks but still be available to heal when necessary. At some point Miklan himself had left his 'throne' and directly confronted the group of students, namely, Sylvain.

The two brothers fought, yelling obscenities at each other, arguing the same argument they always had. Then, Miklan hit Sylvain with the Lance of Ruin and down his brother went, gravely injured, but not dead. Marianne lost her head for a moment, dashing towards Sylvain without a thought, tears streaming down her face, small rivers of glitter that were more obvious than she'd like to admit.

Miklan gloated, ready to land the final blow on his younger brother when Marianne blasted him with Blizzard, knocking him back. He groaned and fell, but not before taking a glance at the mage who had thrown the spell his way. A girl with periwinkle hair, streams glimmering down her face as she rushed to his brother to cast Heal.

Miklan couldn't help but laugh. He had not seen star-tear disease in years, and to witness it on some stranger who clearly harbored feelings for his brother... It was hilarious to see her pain, but then Miklan felt rage. Of course it was Sylvain who had the girls flocking around him. Something about that pissed Miklan off, besides the normal Crest situation, and then he was nothing more than a black beast bent on killing everyone in that tower. No one else had noticed the tears on her face as the monster towered before them.

Marianne saw the fear in Sylvain's eyes, incredulous that such a thing could happen. Was this because Miklan wielded a Relic but bore no Crest? It only added layers to the mystery of why Crests were held so high.

With much teamwork, the black beast was taken down and had shrunk back to Miklan. It was uneasy, looking at his mangled body, blood still fresh, body still as stone. Sylvain had taken the Relic from Miklan's deathly clutch, staring at it wistfully. Marianne could only stare at him from afar.

She did not realize her cheeks were still stained with glitter. It was Hilda who pointed it out.

“Hey, Marianne...?” she asked carefully. Hilda, who normally played dumb, was very well-versed in the ways of the female heart and knew the faintly glimmering tears were all for Sylvain. That was why Marianne had been so cagey for the last few weeks.

Marianne turned to her, confused. “Yes, Hilda?”

Hilda made a motion of wiping her eyes and cheeks and Marianne felt the color drain from her face. She scrubbed at her cheeks and saw the glittery dust under her nails. Oh no... Oh no...

“...please don't tell anyone...” she whispered, hiding her face.

“I won't, but you've gotta tell me all about it! Okay? We need some serious girl talk.”

Marianne merely nodded as Hilda led her away by the elbow. Byleth rounded up her students, Ferdinand and Caspar helping Gilbert up as Linhardt healed him. Byleth assessed the condition of everyone, thankful there were few injuries, conversing with Edelgard about what to tell Rhea.

They all knew in their heart of hearts: this was never meant to leave these tower walls.

~*~

It seemed the further the school year they went into, the more distressed Marianne became about her star-tear disease. Shortly after the Miklan mission, Marianne felt her tears' consistency change from that of water to that of sand, a bit grainy, but still mostly fluid. It was certainly more obvious than what it once was, so Marianne had to be far more careful in hiding her tears. Hilda already knew but she was a good friend and would keep the secret forever, but shedding the tears went from being slightly uncomfortable to being little pinpricks of pain and Marianne knew she'd have to tell some medical professional.

Unfortunately for her, it was Manuela. The former songstress wasn't a bad person, but she definitely didn't mind spilling the tea so to speak, and she loved gossip. Seeing Marianne with glittering tears immediately set her mind to work.

“Oh Marianne! Who's the lucky guy?” she asked, interested in the possible scandal. It was after dinner and Hilda made a comment on how she used Sylvain's philandering ways to get out of work. Something about that upset Marianne and she had run to the infirmary realizing the tears were only going to continue being painful, increasingly so.

Marianne grimaced, wiping at her face but the tears wouldn't stop coming. “That doesn't matter, Professor Manuela... I need...advice.”

“For the boy or for the...?”

“The tears. I need them to stop.” Marianne knew that they wouldn't stop. Not unless she confessed. She couldn't do that though.

“Well, you could always tell the boy. You're not in my class anymore so I don't even know who it would be, but I'm guessing it's one of your fellow Black Eagles...?”

Technically, yes, because Sylvain had just recently transferred to Byleth's class, if only because they seemed understanding on the idea that the Lance of Ruin was to stay in the hands of a Gautier, not be handed over to the Church. Rhea did not like that, but Sylvain managed to somewhat smooth it over. He did not miss the sometimes shrewd glances she threw his way during church service.

“I'd really rather not talk about it,” Marianne answered instead. “Is there a way to at least ease the pain or something?”

Manuela pursed her lips. “Let me take a closer look, Marianne.”

Marianne approached her, apprehensive but desperate. Manuela gently palpated her cheeks, smoothing the tears over her skin. She felt the small grains of sandy like stars, and she frowned.

“I could give you a vulnerary, but that won't stop the disease from progressing. How long have you had symptoms?”

“Um, since the Blue Sea Moon I think...”

“Hmm, that isn't too long then. It makes sense though that the consistency is more sand-like now.” She felt the grains of stars between her thumb and finger. “You know it will only get worse.”

“I know.”

Manuela tilted her head, pitying and perhaps a little jealous. “So why not tell him?”

Marianne blushed, wanting to shrink into the cracks of the floor. “He wouldn't feel the same, not for someone like me.”

“Marianne! You're gorgeous and so sweet. Any boy would be lucky to have you.” She gripped both of Marianne's shoulders. “You just need confidence! Guys like girls with confidence you know!”

Marianne then wondered if maybe that's why Manuela's luck with men was so terrible; she certainly gave off the image of a confident woman, but her insecurity wasn't always so easily hidden. She wasn't going to say that though.

“It's not that... He's just... I'm not his type, I think...”

Manuela looked perplexed as she pieced the puzzle together. “A guy that wouldn't like a girl like you... Well, you are certainly quiet and composed. Skittish even!” Wow, thanks Manuela. “You're with the Black Eagles... It wouldn't be Ferdinand, he's very noble and all... I doubt it would be Linhardt or Caspar. They don't show interest in any girls from what I've seen... Oh goddess no, is it Hubert?!”

Marianne blanched, horrified at the thought. It wasn't like Hubert was a bad person... Well, he certainly was questionable, but he only showed interest in Edelgard. She doubted anyone had a crush on Hubert.

“N-no.”

“Oh thank the goddess, but then who-” and then there was a commotion outside the door as an embarrassed girl and a floundering Sylvain saw that the infirmary still had inhabitants despite the late hour.

“Sylvain? What are you doing here...?” Manuela saw the state of undress he and the female student were in. “Oh come now! Not in my infirmary!”

The girl he was with, some blonde thing, gasped and ran away, squealing about how embarrassing it was to be found out in such a way. Sylvain didn't even bat an eye as she left.

He shrugged though. “Eh, I figured you'd have been at a tavern or something by now. Guess I was wrong.” He folded his arms behind his head, the very picture of nonchalance. “Sorry for disturbing you.” He spared a glance at Marianne and saw the glitter on her cheeks. “Marianne...?”

Marianne yelped, turning around abruptly, hiding her face in her hands. _Oh goddess no! He saw me!_

Manuela blocked Marianne from Sylvain's vision. “You're forgiven. Now, please, leave. I have a patient.”

A brief look of concern braced Sylvain's face but he schooled himself and nodded. He said good night to the two and went off to stir trouble elsewhere.

Manuela sighed. “Honestly, Hubert would have been less surprising. Sylvain? Marianne, I didn't realize you were a glutton for punishment.”

Marianne groaned. “It's not that at all, Professor Manuela...! I just...! He's so...!” Marianne had no words. “He just...makes me want to smile.”

Manuela felt her heart swell. _What a sweet sentiment._

“I know how hard it's been for you, Marianne. You're so reserved. It's nice knowing there is someone who makes you happy, even if it's someone as deplorable as Sylvain.” Manuela pondered that for a moment. “Well, he does come from good stock, so it's not the worst match-up...”

Marianne stiffened. Those kind of words were the exact ones Sylvain hated hearing most. Good stock. Crests. Match-up. Things he couldn't control and didn't want.

The very same things Marianne didn't care about either.

“Sylvain wouldn't like hearing you say that...” Marianne said carefully.

Manuela was intrigued. “Oh? Is that something you've discussed before?”

Marianne was caught. “Y-yes. Sylvain and I both hate having Crests and anything involving them.”

Manuela nodded. “So there is something you have in common! Why not bond over that? Clearly that alone could lead to something.”

Marianne just shook her head. “It won't. Sylvain is so...” Bright and cheery and boisterous and a wonder to behold. She was anything but that.

“Don't downplay yourself, Marianne! You are worth more than any boy's opinion.” She patted her shoulder. “I'll give you a sleeping draught for tonight, but please consider talking to him. I'd hate for you to suffer over something like this.”

Marianne nodded and accepted the sleeping draught, walking to her dorm, alone and sad. She couldn't tell Sylvain anything. Not after seeing him attempt to sneak a girl into the infirmary.

Sylvain liked girls, and Marianne was a monster.

~*~

The school year continued, and things only seemed to get more dire and dire. Strange happenings kept occurring and Marianne's tears only got worse and worse. With Flayn's kidnapping, they were the size of fat raindrops and impossible to hide. When they were in the tunnels and the creepy and dark atmosphere only heightened her anxiety, the tears fell, gently clinking to the stone floor. It caught everyone's attention and Marianne felt her world stop as everyone stared in horror as the small starry jewels fell from her eyes.

“Marianne...?” Edelgard asked, incredulous. “Are you fit to be here?”

Marianne set her jaw, willing herself to stop crying. Her eyes stung. “I must be here. I'll be fine. We have to find Flayn.”

And when they found Flayn, Marianne cried tears of joy, twinkling in the dim torchlight. But the pain was getting to be too much, and she had to stop herself, pressing her palms to her eyes to push the tears back in, but that's not how tears worked.

Sylvain only looked on, startled that someone like Marianne had star-tear disease. Who had she fallen for and why did they not reciprocate her feelings? Unless she hadn't confessed them yet...

Sylvain had no problem with confessing one would think, but revealing true, actual feelings to someone was actually horrifying for him. It was easy to pretend with strangers who didn't even care about him, but to the girl he actually liked...

Sylvain then felt slight pinpricks in his eyes and realized he might have been infected too. Because in that moment, he wanted to protect Marianne and prove to her she was worthy of love.

But she? Loving him? It was laughable. Sylvain wasn't worthy of her love. She was too pure and sweet. He was corrupted and that alone proved he wasn't good enough for her.

He wasn't good enough for anybody.

Everybody was shaken after the events of that day and once Flayn was reunited with Seteth, the Black Eagles were dismissed to their rooms. No one argued there.

Sylvain wanted to approach Marianne. But she had run to Hilda who had been waiting for her outside her door and the two girls retreated into Marianne's room. Sylvain's words were caught in his throat. On the floor, leading to her room, were tear shaped stars. He knelt down, picking up the little jewels, examining them. They were a myriad of colors and incredibly beautiful, but they were also indications of Marianne's pain, and Sylvain felt his own heart break for her. Tears prickled at his own eyes, and he wiped the remnants away. Dust for now, but he knew how this disease worked. Pulling his hand away, he saw the glittering dust on the back of his hand and he swallowed nervously. So it was real.

He stood up, clutching the tears in his fist. One day, he'd be a real man worthy of Marianne's love. Maybe not today, and perhaps he wasn't the one she had in mind, but he would prove himself.

~*~

Edelgard was the Flame Emperor and it shook every citizen of Garreg Mach to their core. Of course, many students had their doubts in her manifesto, but it had resonated with others so some students did flock to her cause.

Ferdinand had to be convinced, but the others were more than willing. Marianne found herself just outside the monastery grounds with the others, knowing she had made a choice. Was it the right one...? She hated knowing this decision would tear her and Hilda apart, but the Crest system was so awful and Edelgard had every intention of ending it... Marianne could get behind that.

As did Sylvain. Seeing him surprised Marianne, but she was also mollified. Maybe then...?

She couldn't give herself that kind of hope. They were all at war now, so any personal feelings had to be put aside. Her tears were the size of pebbles now, and her vision was getting hazy. Ignatz had also joined them at the last minute surprisingly, and he managed to find her glasses to deal with her deteriorating vision. At this point, everyone knew she had the disease, but no one questioned her on it. They knew Marianne would sooner die than admit her feelings, and that was heartbreaking.

Before Edelgard declared war, and they were all merely students at the monastery, Byleth had invited Marianne to tea. Not many of their students knew of Marianne's affliction, but it was reported to them by Manuela. With that in mind, Byleth had every intention of getting the answer out of Marianne if only to ease the pain and try to help. Marianne needed coaxing. That was it. Surely whoever it was could...

“It's Sylvain,” Marianne muttered over her lavender tea. “I know you were going to ask, Professor.”

Byleth was surprised at the easy admission, but they and Marianne had a good rapport, so if anything, it was gratifying.

“What can I do to help you?” Byleth asked, cards on the table now. “In the end, it's up to you to confess, but if you want me to fish some information out of him...”

“It won't be necessary, Professor. My vision is already starting to go. It's too late for me.”

Byleth frowned. Star-tear only got to that point when the tears became impossible to pass. There was still time for Marianne.

“I won't let you lose to this, Marianne. You are stronger than you realize, and you are my student. I only want you to succeed.”

Marianne sighed, placing her cup back on the table. “There won't be any succeeding in this, Professor. Sylvain and I... We are too different.”

“Opposites attract?” Byleth suggested unhelpfully. They were entirely out of their element now.

“Perhaps... But it isn't worth worrying over. Sylvain and I are not meant to be...”

It was defeatist, sure, but it was all Marianne could see. Sylvain was... Sylvain. He broke girls' hearts and laughed with his friends. Marianne only watched from afar. He was nice to her in class. He sometimes would eat dinner with her, which only made her more hyper aware of her affliction. He had yet to convince her to go on that market date, but he certainly tried. Byleth even paired them up on missions, but Marianne always found that unnerving.

“You don't know that, Marianne. He certainly seems to like you,” Byleth replied. “You should give yourself a chance. He might surprise you.”

Marianne could only nod and change the topic.

And then the Battle at Garreg Mach was had, chaos surrounding everyone. Byleth had fallen into a ravine and was lost. Edelgard was distraught but the Black Eagles had to retreat. It was time to reconvene.

~*~

Five years later, Byleth made their way to Garreg Mach, finding their House Leader, Edelgard. She had changed so much but she was still recognizable. Edelgard was jubilant, rushing to hug her teacher.

Bandits had to be routed, but Byleth soon found themselves surrounded by their former students. Everyone had grown so much, some not at all, but they each carried a new aura around them. The war had changed them so much. It had only been five years...

Byleth saw Marianne in the distance, looking cautious. Ignatz and Ferdinand were with her, guiding her. Byleth saw she was wearing glasses now, but she seemed unsure of her footing.

It was then Byleth remembered the illness Marianne suffered from. So nothing really had changed...

Byleth's memories of their time as a professor rushed back to them. Shortly after that teatime with Marianne, Byleth did some sleuthing for Marianne's sake, only to discover that Sylvain also suffered from star-tear, but he hid it extremely well. They had caught him on the pier, wiping at his eyes, flinging the glittering motes into the pond. Byleth had approached him, and Sylvain was immediately defensive.

“Look, I know you're gonna say I'm a jerk and that I had it coming, but I'd rather not hear it right now.” Sylvain wiped the rest of the glitter away, preparing to walk back to his dorm.

“Who is she?” Byleth asked calmly.

“Oh, you're concerned with my love life now?” Sylvain said waspishly. “Doesn't matter. I'm a jerk and I break girls' hearts. She's already perfectly aware I'm like that, so why would I bother telling her something she could never reciprocate? I'll just go blind, because at the end of the day, I have a Crest and will end up married anyway.”

“You're wrong, Sylvain,” Byleth stated. “You might not think you're worth redeeming, but I assure you, someone out there thinks you are.”

“Well, they shouldn't bother. I'd only doom them.” Sylvain shoved past Byleth and stalked off to his dorm.

Byleth was brought back to the present, staring in Sylvain's direction. He was tracing patterns into the dirt with the tip of the Lance of Ruin, which was certainly not the intended use of the weapon. He looked distracted.

Byleth saw him sneaking glimpses at Marianne, how his fingers tensed his grip on the shaft of the lance. He had looked away, and just barely did Byleth see a tiny star fall off Sylvain's cheek.

Perhaps it wasn't so one-sided after all.

~*~

Each battle only drained more and more out of each former student. Marianne's disease had progressed to the point that no one felt she would be safe on the battlefield. She could stay and tend to the wounded at the monastery itself, but she could no longer be a battlefield medic. It hurt Marianne, but it was for the best. Her vision was nearly gone, and only Manuela and Byleth had ever known the cause of it. Many had tried to worm it out of her, most of all Dorothea, but Marianne usually fled from any sort of conversation regarding that. She was thankful for the friends that helped her around, but she found she didn't mind going blind. It made her entirely more aware in ways she hadn't been before, and somehow there was comfort in that.

It still hurt to cry though. The tears were so large at this point that she also bled as they shed. She cried a lot. Mostly alone, and for many reasons. Her heart still yearned for Sylvain, but that was something she couldn't fix...

Well, she said she couldn't fix it, but Manuela and Byleth had insisted time and again for her to tell him. She couldn't though.

She did notice he visited her more often, talking with her in the infirmary, inviting her to dinner. He still wanted to take her on that market date and she found herself laughing more often than not. It was days like those that the pain was barely there and that she felt at peace. Maybe then...

But then Sylvain was suddenly there in the infirmary, bleeding half to death, fellow soldiers yelling commands to keep back so the healers could do their job. Marianne was there in an instant, her strong Faith magic coating Sylvain.

According to Linhardt, Sylvain had gone out of his way to protect Byleth from a lethal attack and found himself skewered with an enemy lance. How he was alive, he didn't understand, but he had the utmost faith in Marianne to heal him.

Marianne trembled as she realized Sylvain's life was quite literally in her hands. He could live or he could die, and it was up to her to ensure the former.

She stayed focused on her task as everyone around her bustled around helping other soldiers, but she felt tears coming on. She swallowed past her sadness and pain, using her fingers to feel around for the wounds so she could sew them shut with magic. She felt a hand on hers.

“It's okay, Marianne. It's okay to let me go,” Sylvain whispered. “I did my duty. I tried to become the man I wanted to be, but, heh, guess I couldn't live to see it after all.”

Marianne steeled herself, putting more of her energy into her magic. “Don't say things like that. You have to live, Sylvain. We're all counting on you.”

“I'm just a grain of sand in the Srengi desert. No one needs me.”

Marianne knew that if she didn't say anything, then he'd truly be lost. This was someone who was ready to accept death, thinking they had nothing else to live for. She had healed enough soldiers, and lost enough, to understand that.

“Sylvain, I need you,” she said quietly, focusing on one deep gash across his ribs.

Sylvain stuttered at both the sting of the wound closing and also her words. “I, you, what?”

This was not the time to admit such feelings, but if she didn't, he'd die. He needed something to live for. Maybe she could be that reason.

“I know I'm not your type of girl, Sylvain, but I...” She started crying again, shivering, her healing magic now stilted.

“Wait, are you going blind because of _me?!_ ” Sylvain nearly yelled. In the cacophony of soldiers crying in pain, no one heard him.

“Don't say it like that,” Marianne reprimanded. “I'm going blind because I'm a coward.”

This sort of discussion had to be against some sort of protocol. Conflict of interest or something, right? But it didn't matter. Sylvain was under her hands and she would save him. She had to.

Sylvain felt a lightness in his chest. Either he was truly dying, or hearing Marianne attempt to say she loved him was healing him.

The star-tear had been getting worse for Sylvain, but like a stubborn fool he hid it and told very few about it. His tears were getting larger as well and his vision was hazy, but he refused to wear glasses. No one could know about this... No one would believe that he, the king of philandering, would have actual feelings for a girl. Unheard of. Impossible. Byleth knew, because they had pointedly asked all those years ago, and finally after one heartfelt teatime, Sylvain admitted he harbored feelings for Marianne. Unbeknownst to him, Byleth was now aware of both of them having feelings for the other, but as far as the disease was concerned, the cure could only be had if they admitted to each other. It was infuriating to know both their secrets and be powerless to help them. Byleth could only push them together so many times. And clearly that had not worked.

“You're not a coward,” Sylvain said gently. “It takes a lot of strength to stay strong for so long. Besides, I'm a coward too.”

Marianne faltered as she focused what little of her vision she had left to see tiny twinkling stars in Sylvain's eyes. “Sylvain, why...?”

“Marianne, I was remiss to never confess. I'm an actual idiot.” He grasped her hand, ignoring some of his still bleeding (but lesser) wounds. “I shouldn't say this as I'm bleeding out but...” More tears fell from his eyes, spilling onto the cot. “I love you, Marianne.”

Suddenly everything was clear. The glasses became uncomfortable to wear and Marianne took them off to find her eyes were progressively improving. The pressure behind her eyes where the stars were forming lessened. There was a lightness spreading through her whole body. She could practically float with how happy she was. Of course, given the situation, she needed to be grounded because Sylvain was still injured and she needed a clear head.

But confessing couldn't hurt...

“Sylvain, your words make me very happy.” She sniffled to find her tears were no longer starry stones, but actual liquid. She still saw the glimmer of past stars, but she was no longer in pain. “I... I...” Goddess it was still hard to get the words out.

But she found her voice.

“I love you too.”

The smile on Sylvain's face could have lit up the whole room. It certainly lit up her world.

The tears on the cot dissipated into nothingness, as if to return to the sky to which they belonged. Sylvain sighed happily, relaxing against the sheets.

“It really was that easy.”

Marianne quickly finished her healing, but her happiness powered her magic and Sylvain was as good as new. He still had some scars, and she insisted he rest, but his hand on hers was tight, as if letting her go would kill him. He pulled her into a hug, breathing her in.

“Stay by my side,” he whispered into her hair.

“I will,” she replied, arms wrapping around his shoulders.

They laughed, beyond happy. The war may have still been going on, but not even the stars could tear them apart.


End file.
